The hut in which I live is a simple shelter made of wood, set on a foundation of piled stones, with a roof of hewn wooden shakes. The chimney is short, the hearth just deep enough for a piece or two of firewood. It is perched on a rise near the side of a mountain, overlooking a valley that fills with morning mist and gliding birds. There is a trail that winds along the ridge, […]
The banana yellow 1960 Impala convertible drifted to a stop about ten feet from my front porch. The top was down and Hafiz was perched behind the steering wheel, motionless as a statue, wearing an over-sized floral shirt, an Oakland Raiders ballcap turned backwards, and a pair of mirrored sunglasses. Near as I could tell he was staring straight down the boulevard, waiting, as if I knew what the hell was going on and would […]
There is a scripture passage in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 17:20) wherein Jesus tells the people (that would be us) that moving mountains, by simply telling them to move, is entirely possible if we but had the faith of the mustard seed. And while A Course in Miracles is quite remote from being a how-to text on exercising various powers, such as mentally sculpting the Earth’s contours or levitating above really large bodies of […]
The other day a Messenger came to my home with a certified letter. I happened to be standing at the window of my apartment, roughly a hundred feet above street level, aimlessly observing the Saturday AM shuffle of humanity down below when he arrived. He glanced up from the street right at me, as if he knew exactly which unit I was in, and of course I had no idea his arrival had anything to […]
The village in which I have lived my whole life is nestled along the coast. It is full of sun and figs and light breezes. Beyond our little harbor there is a great sea that stretches to the horizon and extends beyond the borders of the known world. No one has ever found the End. As children we used to go up on the roofs of our parent’s houses on calm spring days with baskets […]
In order to escape your prison, you will have to argue your case. No one can argue it for you. I’ve got a hearing coming up- Docket 249 in the Court of Self Appeals- and I’m getting antsy. I can tell you it’s no cake walk. I’m prowling around this cage like a tiger fresh off the jungle, drowning myself in images of freedom that induce feelings of freedom, that induce tears one instant, and […]
There is a desert inside of me where I wander, like a hermit, my vocabulary reduced to variations in the salinity of my tears and one Name that I give to everything. I found myself there again last night, sheltered against the wind by a robe of old rags, walking alone amidst an endless quilt of rolling dunes beneath the stars. I know I am not the Originator of this place, even though it is […]
I think we should begin with a bit of Rumi. This is like stretching out briefly before we tear ass across a back yard still slick with a morning dew. It’s a best practice, and it just might prevent us from ripping ligaments or pulling hamstrings in the recklessness that follows. It’s a safe beginning. Sort of. “We tremble, thinking we’re about to dissolve into non-existence, but non-existence fears even more that it might be […]
When I read Bucky Fuller, I tend to laugh out loud in joy at least once per page. I’m a geek, yes- that is surely a contributing factor to this physiognomic response- but it is the joy of recognizing Bucky’s mind that really sets into motion the cascading processes that result in air being fired from my lungs in short bursts. His writing bristles with intelligence, connection, humility and honesty. One reason I enjoy reading […]
Who is studying the Course? And to what end? Who hears the words? Who is stirred to hope for a new life? Who recognizes Love and surrenders, turning round then to confront their darkness? Who finds it too complicated or difficult? Who knows? My little, egoic self is a Seeker. The starting point for this little one is the deeply held belief that my unique and particular historically-derived collection of personal experiences is all that […]
Embracing Forever 